Thunder
by morph
Summary: The TARDIS' POV during the end of Boom Town. Part of my TARDIS 100 series. One shot.


I have always wanted to do a fic from the TARDIS' POV during the end of "Boom Town." This is that fic. Part if my TARDIS 100 series. The BBC owns everything Doctor Who, from the Time Vortex right down to the smallest screw on the TARDIS' counsel.

* * *

A tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator. It was lightening in a bottle. I had been hungrily lapping up the energy from the rift, but this… _this_ was like chocolate. Captain Jack hooked me up and at first, it felt _very_ good, even though it wasn't quite compatible. 

That good feeling didn't last for very long.

Some people who are deathly allergic to nuts can't eat chocolate. This is because most chocolate is made in machines that also make chocolate with nuts. The nut residue gets in the chocolate and the people with sensitive peanut allergies have a reaction.

If the extrapolator was my chocolate, then what happened to me was my peanut allergy reaction.

A rumble like thunder rolled across Cardiff. Even _I_ wasn't aware at first that the sound was coming from me. Then the pain started to build. The rift was opening. I began to shake. The ground rumbled like an earthquake, opening up great cracks in the ground along the rift. I was dimly aware of all this happening, but much of it was blocked by the pain.

Oh, the _pain_!

Energy surged through me in a way it was never, ever meant to. It blocked my senses. I couldn't understand or comprehend. I couldn't hear anything except the roar of thunder. The pressure was building. It was too much.

I screamed.

_DOCTOR! Please, my Doctor, help me!_

I became aware of Jack realising something had gone terribly wrong. He was trying to disconnect the extrapolator. Sparks flew at him. I couldn't control myself. I was in a panic. My lights flickered. Thunder rolled inside me.

I could feel it growing. I wasn't going to make it. Time and space were ripping apart. The planet was ripping apart. _I _was ripping apart.

The thunder crashed.

The extrapolator leached some of the explosive energy from me. It was the cause of all my woes. I felt despair when Jack told the Doctor he couldn't stop it.

I kept screaming.

The thunder wouldn't stop.

_Please, someone make it stop!_

Somehow, I knew that Rose was now in danger, threatened by the Slitheen. I moaned, my parts creaking painfully. I could feel myself weakening. Something was going to give and I was going to bleed the light of the Time Vortex, my heart.

Wait…

The Time Vortex. My heart. There was possibly some way I could still stop this, some way I could help myself and the others.

I tried to move through the thunder, to contact my Doctor's mind. He was afraid, angry and worried. He rumbled with an internal thunder of his own, but his mind calmed me. He reassured me that things were going to be all right. Even if that proved to be a lie, I was still comforted.

I beeped in panic. I wasn't going to be able to hold on any longer.

A panel on my counsel opened and my heart shone through.

For a moment, I felt relief. The thunder softened. I could hear the Doctor's calm words.

"Of course, opening the rift means you'll pull this ship apart."

"So sue me," Blon hissed.

"It's not just any old power source," the Doctor continued. "It's the TARDIS. _My_ TARDIS. The best ship in the universe."

He was so proud of me. I was exhausted, still in pain, but I felt a peace wash over me, enough to ignore Blon's comment about how I "would make wonderful scrap."

"What's that light?" Rose asked.

"The heart of the TARDIS," my Doctor replied. "This ship's alive. You've opened its soul."

I saw into Blon Fell Fotch's mind as she looked into the light. "It's so bright…"

"Look at it, Margaret," the Doctor urged.

"Beautiful…"

"Look inside, Blon Fell Fotch. Look at the light."

I saw her childhood. I saw her wants and needs. I saw what she wished. She looked deep into me and I looked deep into her. Then I understood. A second chance. She had asked for it before, and now I could give it to her.

She was so mesmerized, she forgot about Rose. Her rip slackened and she broke free, running into Jack's arms. She understood what I could do for her and she smiled. She and the Doctor shared a look. He was glad.

"Thank you," Blon said.

There was a surge of light and energy. It was so easy. Just turn back the clock. Manipulate time. Mould it like clay. Regress her to her childhood.

And just like that, it was done. The thunder returned. The pain returned. The Doctor leaped into action, warning Rose and Jack not to look at the light. He hit a switch and I felt the hatch close, locking my heart away again. They shut both me and the extrapolator down.

The thunder was reluctant to let me go. I fought it, with the help of the others. At last, with one final mighty crack, the thunder was gone. It disappeared like it was never there.

Quiet.

Peace.

Calm.

Relief.

Blessed relief.

And suddenly I was full of energy! I felt better then I expected. I felt…fantastic. I would never want to go through that again, but I was recovering quickly. I was ready to go in a matter of minutes.

As I reflect on it now, I realise that if you're strong, there is no need to fear the thunder. After all, thunder is just a noise.


End file.
